Gleditsia triacanthos L. biomass as a substrate for bioethanol production

 The increasing demand for renewable energy sources has intensified interest in exploring biomass for bioenergy production. Selection of suitable feedstock is significant for the economic viability and ecological impact. Lignocellulosic biomass, derived from non-food plants materials, has emerged as an attractive substrate with low cost and no competition to food crops. Gleditsia triacanthos offers a promising alternative due to its widespread availability, adaptability to diverse climates and soil conditions, fast growth, and high biomass yield. This study investigates the potential of G. triacanthos biomass as a viable substrate for bioethanol production through a combination of pretreatment method, microbiological hydrolysis, and fermentation processes. The biological pretreatment method to enhance cellulose accessibility was analysed. Fermentation trials were carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae to assess ethanol yield. Eleven strains with potential cellulolytic activity to the analysed biomass were isolated. The activity index for these strains ranged from 1.09 to 4.86. Results demonstrated that G. triacanthos biomass using selected strains could be converted to fermentable sugars. The highest amount of distillate (83.7 cm3) was obtained after pretreatment and hydrolysis with the BS5 strain (36.3% v/v). These findings indicate that G. triacanthos biomass is a viable and sustainable resource for second-generation bioethanol production, contributing to the development of renewable energy technologies and the mitigation of fossil fuel dependency.